World AIDS Day 2008: Life and hope

Published
7:00 pm EST, Friday, November 28, 2008

By MARK DYBUL

McClatchy Tribune

For more than 25 years, the world community has witnessed the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS. On World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), I am reminded of a hospice that I visited in South Africa that formerly observed this day by mourning those lost to HIV/AIDS.

How things have changed. Following the introduction of antiretroviral treatment supported by the American people, patients once dying of HIV/AIDS are now living -- and marking World AIDS Day with a celebration. In this spirit, on this World AIDS Day 2008, we celebrate life.

In 2003, President George W. Bush and a bipartisan Congress led the fight against global HIV/AIDS with the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) -- the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease internationally in history. And earlier this year, the president and Congress again came together to renew PEPFAR, ensuring its continuation for five more years.

PEPFAR is part of a broad and bold New Era in Development. Not since the Marshall Plan has the world seen such a massive commitment to international development. Since 2001, the U.S. government has doubled its assistance to Latin America, quadrupled it to Africa, and tripled it worldwide.

While U.S. programs have created hope for a brighter future in places like the hospice in South Africa, the challenges our world faces continue to grow in complexity. It is helpful to reflect on two drivers of the Marshall Plan that remain relevant today: moral responsibility and enlightened self-interest.

Our sense of national character is tied up in our commitment to development, as are the principles upon which this country was founded: hope for life, liberty, and opportunity for all people. When we work toward collective health and prosperity beyond our borders, we reinvigorate our national character.

Even in times of hardship, the American people recognize their unique place in today's world. As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently noted, "reneging on our commitments to the world's poor cannot be an austerity measure."

Enlightened self-interest, too, drives our development work. The onset of the global financial crisis has underscored the interconnected nature of our global community -- that our economic security is tightly bound to the political and economic security of the world, and that a prosperous and secure world provides opportunity for Americans. During this period of economic volatility, to turn our attention inward and ignore the wider world is a luxury we simply cannot afford.

The financial crisis is a challenge, but also an opportunity for the U.S. government to increase the efficiency of our development efforts. By further integrating related programs, we can reduce overlap and make our dollars stretch farther. PEPFAR, for example, has created synergies by linking our programs to others that meet the needs of people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in such areas as malaria, nutrition, education and gender.

International development also strengthens our relationships with other nations and affects how we are viewed throughout the world. Our commitment to development drives positive perceptions of America; according to a recent Pew study, nine of the 10 countries with the highest approval ratings of the United States are in Africa.

A key element of our success is a philosophical revolution: a belief and trust in the people on the ground to do the work. Partnership means honest relationships between equals based in mutual respect, understanding and trust, with obligations and responsibilities for each partner and this approach reinforces positive perceptions of America.

Another aspect of development is shared accountability for results, good governance and transparency, ensuring that our taxpayer funds are used for development programs that save lives as effectively as possible.

We have an extraordinary opportunity if we focus on moral responsibility and enlightened self-interest, and on the principles of the New Era of Development. On this World AIDS Day, let's rededicate ourselves to bringing hope to those who need it most -- and join our friends at that hospice in Africa by celebrating life.